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System
Restore
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by:
Lance
Chambers
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Take a few precautions
Although the suggestions in this series of tutorials have been well
tested and used over a number of years things can still go wrong and
there are a few precautions you should take before implementing them.
Ensuring you use the System Restore capabilities of Windows is one of
these precautions and, if things go wrong, will more often than not
save you a lot of pain. Also writing down the steps you take as you go
through any changes will help you to 'back out' of any problems in a
managed way.
The following can help:
- Back
up - Any folders, files and software that you believe are
critical;
- Back
up drivers - Make sure you have easy access to all the
drivers on your computer. It's a good idea to back these up seperately
onto a CD for future use (Note:
if you cannot find a copy of a particular driver go to DriverGuide.com
- here you will find almost every driver ever developed. Try to find a
'signed' driver as this is one the Microsoft has checked out and
okayed);
- Write
down each step
- If you are going to do extensive work on your machine it's a good
idea to write down each step as you take it so that you can reverse
engineer any changes if you have to;
- Check
warranty - Be aware that some hardware modifications can
void your warranty. So check the warranty before you proceed;
- Don't
rush - It's easy to make mistakes sometimes and cause
yourself a lot of wasted time;
- Exit all programs - Ensure you shut down any
programs that may be running before you start and
- Ground
yourself
- it is possible for static electricity to play havoc with some of the
internal components of your computer. The easiest way to ground
yourself is to ensure the power plug stays plugged into the main - with the power turned off
(I know that in the US this is not possible so use a static wrist strap
there). And before you touch any internal items touch the casing to
ground yourself and retouch everytime before you touch another
component.
Fixing it if
it goes wrong
I suggest you do not
turn off Windows System Restore
although it can slow down your computer. If you're not sure how to undo
any changes you may make to your machine System Restore is vital.
Although System Restore will not save you from every issue it will save
you from those where changes are made to software, drivers, Windows
itself and any tweaks that you may perform.
The following video tutorials show:
1/ How to turn System
Restore on and off (I suggest it stay ON if you're unsure
how to roll-back any changes you may make) and
2/ How to create
a System Restore point.
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